St. Olaf Student Nurses Association

05/12/2021

“Growing up, when most kids were pulling toys off the shelves, I was sneaking into my mom’s bandages box and teaching myself how to wrap my first ACE bandage. From a young age I knew I wanted to help others. After taking my first CNA class the summer after my senior year of high school, I have never looked back. I knew nursing was the field for me. I love the relationships nurses have the unique opportunity to build with their patients. I love the camaraderie and the teamwork that is engrained within the nursing community. I love the teaching aspect and being able to help people understand the steps they can take to help them achieve their goals. I love that I will get to spend my days helping people get better and back to living the life they love. I love that nursing allows me to incorporate all these things. While I know there is stress along the way, I still feel an immense amount of gratefulness and honor to call myself a future nurse!”

Ann Jansen | St. Olaf College RN Student Nurse, Class of 2022

05/11/2021

"Nursing can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. But for me, nursing is all about being there for someone in need, someone who is vulnerable or having one of the worst days of their life. Nurses are there for you when you learn you have cancer, or Alzheimer’s or that you are paralyzed from the waist down. They are the ones you see everyday in the hospital, checking on you regularly and making sure you are still recovering. As a nursing student, you are often told that nurses are one of the most trusted professionals in the country, year after year. I believe that that is why we are nurses: to give the best care we can every time we go into the hospital, no matter what may happen that day, and that by doing this we are demonstrating our commitment to those under our care. If someone asked me now if I would do it all over again, all the tests and papers, all the skills labs and quizzes, my answer would be absolutely. This is why I am a nurse, and this is what I want to do."

Claire Taylor | St. Olaf College RN Student Nurse, Class of 2021

05/11/2021

"To be vulnerable and to be with the vulnerable are both sides I have been on, both as a patient and as a student nurse, which has been a major driving factor for my passion in nursing. Nurses have the unique ability and honor to be by a patient’s side during quite possibly some of the most vulnerable moments of their life, and to have someone trust you undoubtedly with their care is a feeling that I can’t compare to anything else I have experienced. I hold an incredible amount of value in what it means to be a nurse; for me, it’s value in not only my ability to develop compassionate relationships with my patients, but also in my education that has equipped me with the knowledge and skills to provide holistic, quality, and safe medical care to patients with varying needs. Today and every day, I am so proud that I have chosen to be a nurse and I am beyond grateful that I can say that."

Ashley Knowlton | St. Olaf College RN Student Nurse, Class of 2021

05/11/2021

Part of our nursing student experience at St. Olaf includes participating in simulations that mimic real, clinical situations. With these simulations, we learn how to transition theory into practice in a controlled environment. Our simulation labs have a variety of features that foster our learning experience. Please watch the video below to learn more about experience in simulation as nursing students!

04/03/2020

We are writing to you with an awesome opportunity to support DKMS, the organization that maintains the national registry for bone marrow donors. Anyone can be added to the registry by doing a simple cheek swab. Once you are on the registry, you may or may not be contacted in the future if you are a match for a patient needing a transplant. Please see their website for more information (https://www.dkms.org/en).

SNA hosts a swab drive every spring, and we typically register 50-75 students and staff as potential donors. We had been planning to host a DKMS bone marrow swab drive this May, but that is no longer possible given the Covid-19 situation. We still want to support DKMS and patients in need, so we have created a "virtual swab drive." It is a website where you can go to learn more about bone marrow donation. If you are interested, you will just answer a few eligibility questions and then a swab kit will be sent to your address (free of charge).This virtual swab drive will last all of April, so please pass it on to your friends and family as you are able! Here is the link to the 'virtual swab drive' website: https://dkmsgetinvolved.org/virtualDrive/stolaf-dkms-swab-drive. Please contact Lizzy ([email protected]) with any questions.

We lead the fight against blood cancer by working with families & communities to recruit bone marrow donors & provide patients with second chances at life.

02/28/2020

On March 7th, From 9-1:00 at Bethel University, Sigma Chi-At-Large will be hosting their annual education day. It is open and free to all students.

Comment on this post so we can arrange car pooling:)

Sigma Chi at-Large Education Day and Annual Meeting

05/10/2019

"Because we all spend so much time together, it is helpful to have really good friends in the program. We love being able to study together, talk through experiences together, and support each other through busy and stressful years. Although we were both friends before being accepted into the nursing program, we have grown closer with a lot of new people in the program as well! Nursing can be a challenging, intense profession that is only made better through community. We are really thankful for the relationships that have grown from our experiences at St. Olaf and the people that are supportive of us throughout challenging years of school. We learn a lot from our classmates (in addition to our professors and preceptors), so it is really meaningful for us to be surrounded by other friends in the program who only want the best for us! There are countless clinical experiences that we will remember throughout out careers, but the people we are experiencing nursing school with have the greatest impact of all."

Lauren Rewers and Molly Nakahara | St. Olaf College RN Student Nurses, Class of 2020

05/09/2019

"People don't like showing their vulnerabilities. We all hate showing that we are scared; that we were hurt, that we are worried, or about to cry. And so we hide it. We minimize our problems. We try not to think about them. And this works, for awhile, until we come across a situation that breaks us down. When patients are at the hospital, they are in a very vulnerable state. Not being in the safety of your home is a stressor. Not having your loved ones by your side when you receive a diagnosis is a stressor. Not being able to go to work when you can't afford to miss a single day at your job is a stressor. Not knowing who is going to take care of your children while you are hospitalized is a stressor. Not having the money to afford healthcare is a stressor. In the face of such stressors, people break down. I've seen them --some cry, some yell, some withdraw. But even when they are in such a vulnerable state, they let me in. They let me see their tears, their fears, their anxiety, and their pain. They trust me. And that is the best reward I can ever get as a professional. As much as I love the pathophysiological and skills-based areas of Nursing, my favorite thing about my major is that I get to be the one who creates a safe space where people can be vulnerable. Being allowed into someone else's life in that way is a privilege few people have. Now, I could tell you how happy I am to finally be a nurse, but I think the picture below says it better."

Genesis Fukunaga | St. Olaf College RN Student Nurse, Class of 2019

05/09/2019

"After stabilizing a patient with severe sepsis and cerebral herniation, her husband asked me, “who are you?” I explained that I was a student nurse intern. Knowing the implications of his wife’s condition, I thought he was going to be upset that a student was taking care of his wife. Instead, he said, “I am glad you are here. I have a rare type of brain cancer, and every time I go to the oncologist or the neurologist, they ask me if their students can come and meet me. I stopped all my treatments because there is nothing to do at this point, but I keep going to the doctor just so their students can see me.” He continued, “I go because those students are learning from me, and maybe, one day, they will be able to help someone else. That’s why they call it practicing medicine! Isn’t it?” After that, I started carrying those words with me as a reminder of the impact of my practice in the lives of patients."

Carlos Grosch | St. Olaf College RN Student Nurse, Class of 2019

05/08/2019

"For me, there was no divine intervention that made me suddenly realize that I aspire to be a nurse. However, I have grown up in an eminently caring environment which I believe is what over time indirectly inspired me to become a nurse. I am from a small yet strongly connected and caring community where my family, friends, and peers have taught me the true values of care. Growing up with these values constantly reflecting upon me, I have realized that there is nothing more that I aspire to do than pass on these strong values of compassion. With first hand experience on both sides, I understand the true moral of care and the importance it has in a caregiver’s setting. As a patient, I have experienced the kindness and intelligence that radiates off of nurses as they work; and as a caregiver, I have learned the level of focus, knowledge, and the gentleness needed to perform all acts of care, no matter the level of difficulty. With the experience I have been graced with on both ends, I believe that I have set myself up for a successful career in nursing where I will be able to make a difference in the lives of anyone who seeks my services as a nurse."

Ashley Knowlton | St. Olaf College RN Student Nurse, Class of 2021

05/07/2019

"In 2013 when my grandmother had a stroke, she rapidly declined and needed to move into a nursing care center due to her complete dependence on others. I was still in high school at the time, and visiting her was terrifying, oppressively sad, and anxiety producing for me. It was so bad that I would avoid going to see her at all costs, and these feelings persisted even into my first year of college. As part of my path to become a nursing major at St. Olaf, I obtained my license to be a nursing assistant at the end of my sophomore year and worked full time that summer at a nursing home here in Northfield. During that summer, I learned more than I ever thought possible about what it means to care for those who so need love and attention. Many of my fears were diminished and I had a newfound sense of confidence and purpose within the nursing profession. That Christmas, when I went home to visit my family, I eagerly walked right into my grandmother’s room and knelt down beside her, holding her hand saying, “Hi grandma, it’s Grace. I’m right here. And I love you so much.” And that is what nursing has been for me. The more I learn, the more I shed my fears and find my place in this beautiful world of caring for the most vulnerable. I couldn’t imagine a better fit."

Grace Nelson | St. Olaf College RN Student Nurse, Class of 2019

05/06/2019

"Ever since I was a young girl, I had goals about working in a hospital setting. As a child who was in and out of the hospital with different medical conditions, I grew to love the amazing and caring staff who made me feel safe as a scared child in an unfamiliar setting. This ultimately inspired me to go into the career of nursing. These nurses demonstrated to me the most important values of respect and compassion and how the littlest things that you do for your patients make a huge difference during their time in the hospital. My nurses pushed me to be strong in times of uncertainty, which ultimately changed the way I looked at life. By becoming a nurse, I hope to replicate the care and compassion I got as a child, to all of my patients in the future. I want my patients to feel safe and empowered and I know that by doing nursing I will be able to give them these things."

Emily Bukowski | St. Olaf RN Student Nurse, Class of 2020